Lufthansa cancels flights over pilot union strike threat

Lufthansa Airlines, Germany’s flagship carrier, has announced plans to cancel its passenger and cargo flights over a planned day-long strike by pilots on Friday, 2 September, 2022.

The Airline, in a statement on Thursday, said it would cancel flights from its two biggest hubs, Frankfurt and Munich.

“The strike announced by the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) for Friday, 2 September, in the period from 00:01 to 23:59 hrs. (Central European Summer Time; GMT +2 hrs) will have a massive impact on flight operations – in the middle of the main return travel period at the end of the school holidays in Germany and other European countries. Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo departures at German airports are affected,” the statement revealed.

“Lufthansa has to cancel 800 flights at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich for Friday, with single flights also being cancelled as early as today, Thursday, 1 September.”

The airline said an estimated 130,000 passengers will be affected, in view of the upcoming weekend, the end of the holidays in some parts of Europe.

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The German carrier also said it is working with joint forces to return its flight operations to a normal status as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the effects of the strike may still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays this Saturday and Sunday.

“Eurowings and Eurowings Discover are not affected by the strike call and are scheduled to operate as planned. Passengers affected by cancellations will be informed immediately today and rebooked on alternative flights if possible”, the statement read.

Speaking on the strike, Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said: “We cannot understand VC’s call for a strike. The management has made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the continuing burdens of the Covid crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy. This escalation comes at the expense of many thousands of customers

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.